Awarding an opportunity

Open opportunities on Cimple have a closed tender box, so you won’t be able to see any submissions until the deadline dates passed.  

1. When the deadline has passed, click on ‘Closed competitions’

2. Click ‘View applicants’ 

3. Click ‘View details’ to see a supplier’s submission 

4. Click ‘Shortlist’ on as many suppliers as needed 

5. Issue shortlist, and click ‘Confirm’, which will notify the shortlisted suppliers

6. Then click on your ‘Shortlisted’ tab 

7. Click ‘View details’ on a supplier’s submission

8. And choose to award to the supplier(s). They’ll be notified of their win

9. Select ‘Complete award’ to confirm

10. With this action, any unsuccessful supplier(s) will also be notified

For direct awards or quick quotes, you can assess submissions as they come in.

1. Navigate to your Buyer dashboard and click on live/closed competitions

2. Select the relevant quick quote or direct award opportunity and click View applicants

3. Click View details against a supplier’s submission to view their response

4. Choose to award or reject supplier(s) as necessary

5. The suppliers will then be automatically notified of their outcome

All mini-competitions on Cimple have a closed tender box, so you won’t be able to see any submissions until the deadline date has passed.

1. First click on 'View details' for your mini-competition under ‘Closed’ in your left-hand tab

2. Click ‘View applicants’ 

3. Click ‘View details’ to see a supplier’s submission 

4. Click ‘Award’ on a supplier(s) submission

5. Select ‘Complete award’ to confirm your choice

6. Finally, the successful and unsuccessful supplier(s) will be notified of your decision by email

Competitive Flexible Procedures have a more detailed process with multiple stages. You can only view supplier submissions after the deadline of each component within a stage

Steps to Manage Applicants in CFP Opportunities:

1. Navigate to live competitions in your Buyer dashboard

2. Click View applicants for the chosen CFP opportunity

3. Select View details for a supplier to view their responses at each stage/component

4. Alternatively, you can select the checkbox next to the supplier's name under the Export column, then click the purple Export button in the top-right corner to download and view their responses offline

5. Shortlist or reject supplier(s) during or after any component

• Shortlist: Available if a down-select step is added after a component

• Reject: Supplier(s) can be rejected at various stages (see rejection scenarios below)

Important Note: Buyer actions on the platform are disabled until shortlisting is completed

Offline Components in CFP:

1. For stages like Negotiation, Site Visit, Dialogue, and Audit, these will take place offline so the buyers must confirm if the stage has occurred in-platform:

• • • Selecting Yes moves suppliers to the next stage

    • Selecting No rejects the supplier

Awarding Suppliers:

1. Awarding can only occur at the end of the award stage after mandatory shortlisting.

2. Once the shortlist is complete, the CTA changes to 'Award'

3. After confirming the award:

   • • Application status changes to AWARDED

     • Supplier(s) are notified

Rejecting Suppliers:

Suppliers can be rejected under the following conditions:

• Not shortlisted after the buyer issues a shortlist

• Failure to submit a response before the component end date

• Other suppliers are awarded the opportunity

Note: Shortlisting is mandatory at the end of the award stage, and any remaining suppliers will be rejected automatically.

Once you’ve decided which supplier(s) to award your opportunity to, there’s the matter of providing feedback to your candidates. As the buyer, you’re not obligated to provide detailed feedback, but doing so is courteous and encouraged so that suppliers can understand why you chose someone else. You can even give feedback to your awarded candidates. 

1. Log in to Cimple

2. Navigate to your dashboard by clicking ‘Buyers’ along the top-navigation bar and then click on ‘Buyer dashboard’

3. Find your opportunity by selecting ‘live,’ ‘awarded,’ or ‘closed’ in your dashboard

4. Locate your procurement and click ‘View applicants’

5. Click ‘View details’ for the relevant supplier submission

6. You’ll see a text box on the left-hand side for providing overall feedback for the application

7. Type feedback directly into the text box. Alternatively, upload a document with your feedback using the ‘Attach Document’ button

8. When you’re done, click ‘Add feedback’

9. If you choose to add feedback, the supplier will be notified once you’ve awarded the procurement

Note: For CFP procurements, feedback can be provided at each stage, allowing buyers to give specific notes to the suppliers for each stage.